The fact-check archive.
Thousands of dissected hoaxes in Indonesian and English: the claim, what the fact-checkers found, and the sources to verify it yourself.
1,939 fact-checks
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030303
The following email began to be spread in the latter days of February 2003, reporting that the internet would stop on Monday 3 March, 2003.
Sophos · English · Feb 28, 2003
- ✕Hoax
Bonemarrowdonor
The following chain letter has been distributed in German. It describes how a person called Julia Schmidt is searching for a bone marrow donor. However, the telephone number and contact details are faked, and the plea for a donor is false.
Sophos · English · Sep 18, 2002
- ✕Hoax
Internetcleaning
The following chain letter has been seen by some users. It appears the chain letter was started as an April Fool’s joke, however some people may believe it to be factual. Sophos recommends you do not pass this chain letter onto your friends and colleagues.
Sophos · English · Sep 2, 2002
- ✕Hoax
Expensivephonecall
The following chain letter has been distributed in the United Kingdom. The situation described is fictional and is not occurring because premium rate phone numbers are not allowed to charge such a high amount by Oftel.
Sophos · English · Aug 28, 2002
- ✕Hoax
ApplebeesGiftCertificate
This chain letter has been spread across the internet. Of course, it is not true and the offer does not exist. The text of the chain letter is as follows: Subject: Subject: Gift Certificate from Applebees Text of the letter: My name is Bill Palmer, founder of…
Sophos · English · Jun 28, 2002
- ✕Hoax
Bonsaikitten
The following chain letter has been distributed around the internet, protesting against a website where it is suggested cats are being maltreated. In fact, the website is a joke (albeit one which some may find tasteless).
Sophos · English · Jun 7, 2002
- ✕Hoax
BillGatesfortune
This chain letter has been spread across the internet. Of course, it is not true and Microsoft and AOL are not participating. The text of the chain letter is as follows: Dear Friends, Please do not take this for a junk letter.
Sophos · English · May 20, 2002
- ✕Hoax
Amazonrainforestpetition
This chain letter has been distributed for a number of years. Regardless of the legitimacy or otherwise of the original petition, Sophos understands that the proposed law was shelved by Brazil’s Congress on 18 May 2000.
Sophos · English · May 7, 2002
- ✕Hoax
ATMTheft
This chain letter has been circulating on the internet for some years. Recently a version has been distributed which claims to be from the Halifax Building Society.
Sophos · English · Apr 26, 2002
- ✕Hoax
Leukaemiachainletter
This chain letter is being forwarded around the internet. The email claims it is being tracked by AOL and that number of times it is being forwarded is being counted. This is, of course, untrue.
Sophos · English · Apr 18, 2002
- ✕Hoax
Hotmailhoax
There are several variants of this chain letter being forwarded around the internet. It is very similar to the Dear YAHOO User chain letter. The text of the first version reads as follows: Urgent: Please Forward!
Sophos · English · Feb 1, 2002
- ✕Hoax
HIVNeedles
There have been a number of different versions of this chain letter reported to Sophos. Some versions of the chain letter claim that visitors to a cinema in Australia have been infected, but this has been confirmed as a hoax by the Australian Red Cross Blood…
Sophos · English · Sep 28, 2001
- ✕Hoax
Ecologyalert
The following chain letter is being forwarded around the internet, concerning President Bush and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol: Subject: ecology alert President Bush recently announced that the United States Government will NOT honor its commitments under the 1997…
Sophos · English · May 30, 2001
- ✕Hoax
Emailcharges
There are two versions of this chain letter being forwarded around the internet. The text for the American version reads as follows: Subject: email charges Text of the letter: I guess the warnings were true. Federal Bill 602P 5 cents per E-mail Sent.
Sophos · English · May 3, 2001
- ✕Hoax
Champagne
The following chain letter is being forwarded around the internet, offering six bottles of champagne as a prize if you forward the message to ten other users and carbon copy someone at Veuve Clicquot (the name has been replaced with xxxxxxxx). bonjour!!
Sophos · English · Dec 18, 2000
- ✕Hoax
BillGates
The Bill Gates hoax began circulating in November 1997. Part of the text of the hoax reads as follows Forward this to everyone you know and if it reaches 1000 people everyone on the list you will receive $1000 and a copy of Windows98 at my expense.
Sophos · English · Jan 1, 2000
- ✕Hoax
Ericssongiveaway
The following chain letter is being forwarded around the internet: Dear customer Our main competitor, Nokia, is giving free mobile phones away on the Internet. Here at Ericsson we want to counter their offer.
Sophos · English · Jan 1, 2000
- ✕Hoax
Klingerman
The following chain letter is being forwarded around the internet. Subject: Fw: virus warning but not e-mail Text of the letter: This is an alert about a virus in the original sense of the word...one that affects your body, not your hard drive.
Sophos · English · Jan 1, 2000
- ✕Hoax
Intel/AOLmerger
The text of the hoax reads as follows: I'm an attorney, and I know the law. This thing is for real. Rest assured AOL and Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of facing a multimillion dollar class action suit similar to the one filed by…
Sophos · English · Jan 1, 2000
- ✕Hoax
‘Negative Video About Your Site’ Scam Messages
Scammers are targeting website owners via messages claiming that a negative video about their site is circulating. The messages claim that the video is going viral. They urge you to click a link to view the supposed video.
Hoax-Slayer · English
Entries are collected from public fact-checking sites and link back to the original article.